Andre Villas-Boas has seven games to convince the board he is the man to take Tottenham forward, Standard Sport understands.

Following talks with the club’s hierarchy, sources close to the under-pressure manager say he believes the fixtures in December will be pivotal in his reign.

Potential January transfer targets were discussed but results and performances must improve this month or Villas-Boas’s future will be called into question again.

The fixture list appears favourable, however, with five out of those seven games at home and only one against a top-four side, Liverpool.

Spurs came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 last night but that was their first win in the Premier League since ­October and came after a poor November, the nadir being the 6-0 rout at Manchester City.

That defeat raised speculation over Villas-Boas’s future but sources close to him say he has been assured by the board they have not met with other managers.

However, they have told him they expect to see an improvement from the team this month.

It is said the board believe that given the £110million they spent in the summer, funded largely by the £86m sale of Gareth Bale, Spurs should be higher than sixth in the Premier League and playing more attractive football.

Spurs — who are 10 points adrift of leaders Arsenal — have scored just 13 times in the League this season, the fewest goals of the clubs in the top half of the table.

Of the seven summer signings, the most expensive, Erik Lamela, has struggled to adapt to English football since his club record £30m move from Roma with his sole goal coming in the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Roberto Soldado, a £26m arrival from Valencia, has scored six goals in 15 games but three have come from the penalty spot.

During his talks with the board, Villas-Boas did not make excuses and accepted the blame for the team under-performing.

Although board members appreciate ­Villas­‑Boas’s abilities, it is understood that some are disappointed the huge summer investment has yet to pay off.

Villas-Boas will have money to spend in January and the coach is keen to bring in a left-back after he failed with a move for Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao in the summer.

Villas-Boas is said to be pleased with the support he has received from the squad and it appears the situation is different from Chelsea, where he was sacked after falling out with some of the senior players.

Last night’s win at Craven Cottage was a relief for the manager, who claims his side deserved a change in fortune.

“We’ve been a bit unlucky of late,” he said.“It was very important for the team to get a win back in the Premier League — it almost completes our bouncing back from the City defeat.”